The arrival of global fast-food giants in India is transforming the way that people eat out, reports Joanna Sugden

Salman Adhal takes his brown plastic tray from the counter and turns on the heel of his cowboy boot to swagger to his seat and unwrap his McSpicy chicken burger.

In doing so, the 18-year-old from Mumbai demonstrates a truth of sorts: it’s cool to eat McDonald’s in India. There is none of the stigma of Super Size Me. Ronald McDonald’s red-and-white-striped trousers haven’t worn thin. Even giving a kid over the age of 6 a Happy Meal seems to have the desired effect.

With India’s huge, young and increasingly affluent population, it’s no surprise that the elder statesman of